Apparatus for subdividing a mass



Jan. 15, 1946. R. R. POLLARD I APPARATUS FOR SUBDIVIDING A MASS Filed Dec. 29, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN ran RR. POLLA RD Ar ORA/Er.

Jan. 15,1946.

R.-R. POLLARD APPARATUS FOR SUBDIVIDING A MASS Filed Dec. 29, 1944 3 Sheets -Sheet 2 INVENTO RR. POLLA PD Jan. 15, 1946. RR. POLLARD 2,393,185

' APPARATUS FOR SUBDIVIDING A MASS Filed Dec. '29, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I i F G. 4

lNVENTO/P RR. POLLARD A TOPNEV Patented Jan. 15, 1946 I UNITED? STATES PATENT v orr es E 12,393,185 j APPARATUS FOR- SUBDIVIDING A MASS Robert R. Pollard, East Orange, N.. J., assignor to Western Electric Company; Incorporated, New

York, N. Yuacorporationof NewYork g Application December 29, 1944, Serial No. 570.334

' H 3 Claims. (Cl. 25-405) This invention relates to material handling ap- .paratus, and more particularly to apparatus for subdividing masses of highly viscous, pseudo-solid liquids such as asphalt, bitumen, coal tar and the like.

Asphalt, bitumen, coal tar and the like substances have many applications as raw material in various arts. As commercially supplied, these substances ordinarily appear in the marketin barrels .or drums into which they have been poured in a. molten state and allowed to solidify as a sensibly solid mass, which, -however, is actually, at ordinary temperatures, an-extremely viscous and tough liquid, which is also a highly effective heat insulator. It is a problem of considerable difiicultly. to find suitable means to subdivide such a mass for subsequent treatment. It is too tough at ordinary temperatures t-obe broken by a hammer 01' cut by a chisel with any reasonable facility, and will clog any kind of saw almost immediately. Becauseof its low conductivity of heat, chilling the mass. to brittlenessv or heating. it as a whole to fluidity is impracticably time consuming, even when the barrel or drum has been split and removed from the generally cylindrical body. to be dealt with. a

"An object of the present invention is to provide simple, reliable, sturdy and effective apparatus for subdividing a pseudo-solid. mass of toughly and lngh-ly viscous material. e. g. asphalt or the like, into Sections or portions amenable to further treatment such as furth r subdivision, liquefaction by heat, or the like.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be embodied in an apparatus for subdividing a mass of highly viscous, pseudo-solid liquid, which apparatus comprises means to support a mass .to be subdivided against. displacement during subdivision, a plurality of strands to be positioned in loops about the mass, means to releasably lock the strands at onev end of each in ilnmovably fixed position when so looped, and means to advance the other ends of the strands to tighten and diminish the loops thereof about the mass and thereby cause the strands to divide the mass into a plurality of sections.

Qther objects and feature of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of ne embodiment thereof, aken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals are applied to identical parts in the several figures, and in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation with parts broken away of an apparatus embodying the invention; r

Fig 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig.3 is a view on the line 3V3. oi Fig.1;

Fig 4 is an enlarged detail view in horizontal section of the drum lock;

Fig 5 is an enlarged detail 'view on the line 5-4 ofFig. 2; i

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.; and i Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of thecuttin wire securing means. of thedrum. 1

The purpose of the particular apparatus herein disclosed is to subdivide into manageable transverse slices, the cylindrical mass of asphalt or thelike obtained by splitting and stripping a metal drum from a ontent of. asphalt formed there by filling the drum with molten asphalt and all wing the molten charge to cool. i I

Aqmultiple-slotted, horizontal, stationary plat form, enerally indicated at In is omposed of a p urality of. parallel, spacedchannel beams II, the intervals between which provide a plurality of parallel slots l2. The outer, right endsiof the beams. H are. for-med as shown at 14, making a ramp up which a cylindrical mass l5 of asphalt to be subdivided may be rolled to the position on the platform shown. .The left hand ends ofthe beam, H support av transverse channel It, to

which they are welded. A little to the rightof the channel I6, an angle bar H as long asaohannel ll wide, rests on and is weldedto each of the channels H, parallelto the channel It. A vertical channel 18 is footed on and welded to each channel l aga nst the rear face of the upright flange of the angle. l'|,.to which the several posts l8 thus formed are also welded. The channels 18 are of the. same width as the channels ll so that the slots l2 continue up between the posts 18 as shown at I I2. Each post, It is braced by a diagonal angle bar [9 Welded to the post and to the far side of the channel [6. The plurality of posts 18 serves as a ple-slotted stop for the cylinder l5 during the dividing Operation hereinafter described. The tops of these posts [8 also serve, during; operation of, the apparatus, to support a transverse rod 20 whoselends are secured to the ends of a pair of arms 21: pivoted at. 22 to the outer faces of the right hand ends of the outer channels ll. 1 y

The forward end of the channel I6 extend-s well forward of the frontmost channel ll, abuts a ainst and is w lded to a channel 2 extendin cftwardly th re rom Simflaflmthe rear end. of the cha n l 16 abuts against and lswelded-toa lettward y extendin channel. 2.5. .A. vertica channel 26 is welded to the oil-terrace of the channel 24, and a similar vertical channel 21 is welded to the outer face of the channel 25. The two vertical posts thus formed by the channels 28 and 21 are tied together at their tops and braced by a transverse channel 28 welded at its end to the posts. A series of angle members 29 is welded to the top face of the channel 28, one member 29 over each channel ll. Eachmember 29 is also welded at the right end to the top part of the corresponding post 18. A shaft 30 disposed above and parallel to the channel 28 is rotatably supported in the upturned flanges 3! of the angles 29. Centrally over each channel Ii, alatch hook .32 is secured on the shaft 30 to turn. therewith and is formed at its outer end to hook down over the rod or to be lifted therefrom, asindicated in. solid and in broken lines respectively in Fig; l. Lifting any one of the latch hooks 32, lifts them all since all are pinned or otherwise rigidly secured to the shaft 30. Details of a hook 32 and its mounting are shown in Fig.7 5. There is mounted on the rod 20, directly over each slot l2, a device best shown in Figs. 5 and 6 for securing the end of a wire 33 to the rod, there being as many wires 33 as there are slots 12. The device in question is a collar 34 having a radial integral stud 35 iniwhich are formed a diagonal bore 36 and a transverse bore 31, also a radial threaded bore 38 intersecting the transverse bore 35, the diagonal bore 36 being offset from both bores 35 and 31. Theend of the wire 33 passes through the diagonal bore and turns back as shown and enters into the transverse bore where it is the drum 40 is so simple and so clearly shown in Fig. 7 as to need no detailed description in words. The wires 33 are alike in length and of such length, preferably, that when the wire carrying frame 2 l, 20, 2| is turned clockwise on the pivots 22- from its full line position in Fig. 1 tolie out horizontally to the right as indicatedin broken lines in the same flgure,'there will-be a turn or several turns of each wire still around the drum.

-A sprocket gear 43 is freely rotatable on the shaft 4! and is drivable by a chain driven by a sprocket 45 on-the-output shaft of a speed reducing gear device 16 whose input shaft is drivable by a motor 47.- A lever arm 48 is rigidly secured on the shaft 43 adjacent the sprocket 43 and can be connected to the sprocket to be driven by the sprocket and thereby drive the'shaft 4i and drum 4D or can be disconnected therefrom by manipulation of the bayonet lock pin 49 (Fig. 4).

Apairof brackets 53 (Fig.3)

are mounted on the innerfaces respectively of the posts 26 and '6 21, to support respectively two limit switches 52, whose operating levers 5i support and are tied together by a transverse rod parallel to the axis of the'drum 40. a r

The wires 33 arepreferably piano" wire, i.' e. steel wire, hard drawn to extremely high tensile strength, but may be strands of any suitable material; "They are correspondingly elastic, and when wound tightly on the dram -i3 do not take a set andtend t'oremaincoiled, but as soonas the tension on them is released, will tend to spring loose from the drum as far as any slack will permit. To control this tendency within safe limits, a wooden board 54 is secured on brackets carried on the channel 28 to stand with the width of the board radial to the drum 40 and the outer edge of the board wiping lightly against the cylindrical surface of the drum, this edge being formed with shallow notches 56 to give slight clearance to coils of the wires 33 on the drum.

For operation, assuming that the sections of a sliced mass have just been removed, the apparatus will be in the general state shown in Fig. 1, without the cylinder 15 and with the wires 33 hanging from the bar 20 in a short loop to the drum 40 as indicated in Fig. 1 in broken lines. To prepare to receive another cylinder I5 to be sliced, the pin '49 is retracted from the sprocket 43, leaving the sprocket 43, shaft 4| and drum 40 freely revoluble. The latch hooks 32 are then lifted from the full line position of Fig. 1 to the broken line position, thus releasing the rod 20. The wire frame 2|, 29, 2! is then swung (clockwise in Fig. 1) from the full line position of Fig. l to lie out flat on the ground to the right, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, the drum rotating freely to allow the wires 33 to be drawn out as required by this action and to move down the slots H2 between the posts l8 and lie out over the slots i2. A fresh cylinder 15 to be cut is then rolled over the bar 28 and wires 33 on the ground and up the ramps i4 onto the channels il into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Then the wireframe 2t, 28, 2i is swung back into the solid line position of Fig. 1, thus wrapping the wires .33 around the cylinder as shown. The rod 20'is locked in place by bringing down the latches 32; and the pin 49 is again engaged with the sprocket 43. Power is then supplied to the motor 41 thus driving the drum 48 to begin winding the wires 33 thereon and thus to progressively tighten the loops of the wires about the cylinder. The pull of the wires on the cylinder 15 is resisted by the posts l8, Asphalt, bitumen, coal tar and the like substances are true liquids and quasi solids. They will flow under a continuously exerted force up to a certain degree of pressure per square inch, depending both on the particular substance in ques tion and upon the temperature as well as upon the abruptness with which the pressure is applied. Beyond that pressure they tend to" crack and splinter with a-mygdaloidal' fractures like an amorphous solid.

At the proper speed of the drum 48, to be experimentally determined to accord with the material to be cut, itstemperature, and the diameter of theslicing wires 33, the material will flow under the wires, part around them and 'fail'to rejoin over them; and thus the wire loops will gradually'divide the cylinder i5 into transverse slices completely severed from each other when the last arc of each wire has passed the right hand face of the posts i8.

r A moment or two later, one or more of the loops tightens against the rod 50 actuating the limit switches 52. It is to be understood that these switches are connected into the control circuit of the motor 41, so that the motor is stopped when the rod 50 is pressed to the left by the wires 33.

The sliced sections of the cylinder 15 being removed from the platform I9, the above described cycle of operation may be repeated. 1

The apparatus described above in specific detail is intended as an illustrative embodimentof the invention and may be variously modified,

altered or rearranged without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed out and delimited in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for subdividing a mass of highly viscous, pseudo-solid liquid which apparatus comprises a platform and vertical posts thereon to support a mass to be subdivided against displacement during subdivision, a plurality of strands to be positioned in parallel loops about the mass, a bar having one end of the strands secured thereto at spaced intervals thereon, an anchorage member rigidly mounted on the platform, means on the anchorage member to releasably lock the bar thereto when the strands are looped about a mass, a winding drum having the other ends of the strands secured thereto at spaced intervals thereon, and motor means to rotate the drum to Wind the strands thereon to tighten and diminish the loops thereof about the mass and thereby cause the strands to divide the mass into a plurality of sections.

2. An apparatus for subdividing a mass of highly viscous, pseudo-solid liquid which apparatus comprises means to support a mass to be subdivided against displacement during subdivision, a plurality of strands to be positioned in loops about the mass, a member having one end of each of the strands secured thereto at spaced intervals thereon, means to releasably lock the member in immovably fixed position when the strands are looped about a mass, a winding memher having the other ends of the strands secured thereto at spaced intervals thereon, means to rotate the winding member to wind the strands thereon to tighten and diminish the loops thereof about the mass and thereby cause the strands to divide the mass into a plurality of sections in combination with a movable member positioned to be moved by a strand which has passed through a mass, and means actuable by the movable member to stop the winding member rotating means.

3. An apparatus for subdividing a mass of highly viscous, pseudo-solid liquid which apparatus comprises a platform and vertical posts thereon to support a mass to be subdivided against displacement during subdivision, a plurality of strands to be positioned in parallel loops about the mass, a bar having one end of the strands secured thereto at spaced intervals thereon, an anchorage member rigidly mounted on the platform, means on the anchorage member to releasably lock the bar thereto when the strands are looped about a mass, a winding drum having the other ends of the strands secured thereto at spaced intervals thereon, motor means to rotate the drum to Wind the strands thereon to tighten and diminish the loops thereof about the mass and thereby cause the strands to divide the mass into a plurality of sections in combination with a rod disposed transversely to the several strands and movable by a strand which has passed through a mass, and means actuable by the rod when moved by a strand to stop the motor means.

ROBERT R. POLLARD. 

